Blank-feeding apparatus.



No. 779,555. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905. G. B. & G. D. MCDONALD- BLANK FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 10, 1903. 2 gHEET 1 No. 779,555. PATEN'l'ED JAN. 10, 1905.

\ G. B. 65 O. D, MGDONALD- BLANK FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1903,

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented January 10,1905;

PATENT OFFI E.

OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

BLANK-FEEDING APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,555, dated January 10, 1905. Anplication filed November 10, 1903. Serial No.180,590.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, (.nAnLes B. MCDoN- ALI) and CnAnLns l). MCDONALD, citizens-of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Blank-Feeding Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is concerned with anovel apparatus for separating blanks from apile and feeding them one by one to a machine which performs any desired operation upon them, and while it is desigi'n'd primarily for feeding metal blanks, and more especially the bodies of tin cans, it will be understood that it is capable of being used for anysimilar purpose, such as feeding blanks for paper boxes, &c.

Our invention is concerned with certain novel mechanisms which simplify the structures heretofore employed and make them more positive and certain in their action.

To illustrate our invention, we annex hereto two sheets of drawings, in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures, of which--- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 is a t p plan view.

Our invention is shown as applied to the frame of any machine with which it is adapted to be used and which may have the pair of reciprocating bars 11, having the projections 12am] 13,which carry the blanks forward one by one as they are placed upon said bars during the reciprocation thereof.

The framework 14 of the feeding mechanism proper may be of any desired shape, :--o thatit is adapted to furnish the necessar g'supports for the elements to be hereinafter described, and is shown as secured by the cap- 1 screws 15 to the frame 10 of the machine. The frame is preferably constructed of two symmetrical halves, in the lower portion of 1;

which are formed the bearings 16 for the driving-shaft 17, which may have the sprocketwheel 18 secured thereon and which s preferably driven through the medium of the sprocket-chain 19 at the rate of a single rotation for each blank that is operated on by the i machine. The shaft 17 has secured thereon one or more (preferably two) cam-disks 20, upon which rest a corresponding number of antifriction-rollers21,journaled upon the arms I 22, pivoted at 23 on the framework and preferably eonnectedat their front and outer ends I by the cross-bar 24. Secured upon the frame 14 are two pairs of vertical cylindrical bearings 25 and 26, in which reciprocate the rods E 27, which are pivot-ally connected to the arms or levers 22 by a slotted joint which permits their being moved vertically from th'eangular movement of thelevcrs. Helically-coiled expanding springs 28, surrounding the rods 2T, beneath the bearings 25 and above the collars'2, secured on the lower ends, of the rods, serve to hold the antifriction-rollers 21 down upon the operative surface of the cams. At the upper end of the-rods 27 they are connected by the cross-piece 30, from which depend the lifters 31. We preferably employ pneumatic lifters as applicable to all materials, and we preferably form them of plain inverted cups 31, secured on the tubes 32, which are connected by the T-joints 33 with the cross-piece 30, which in that case becomes a tube closed at one end and having at the other end a. flexible pipe 34, which is connected to some suitable means for exhausting l l l "the cups 31.

Journaled in the bearings in the framework 14 is the shaft 36, which has rigidly secured thereon the tine-toothed ratchet-wlnl 37 and the gear-pinion 38, which meshes with a rack-bar 39, held in engagement with the pinion by the angular bracket 40, of anysuitable shape, to be supported by the shaft 36. The rack-bar 39 has, secured at its upper end the cross-head 41, which is'preferably provided with the bearings 42 at its ends, which slide upon the vertical guide-rods 43, which may be supported in any suitable manner, as by the brackets 44 and 45, projecting inward from the top and bottom, respectively, of the f framework. The pile of blanks it; is supported on the cross-head -11, the cross-pieces 47 be- 1 ing preferablyinterposed between saidblanks l i the air, so that there is always a suction in 80 l and cross-head. To rotate the shaft 36 a trifie l at each operation, and thereby raise the pile 1 to keep the blanks at a uniform level as they are removed one by one, we pivot on the shaft 36, adjacent to the ratchet-wheel 37, a lever 48, which has pivoted thereon the swing-pressed operating-dog -19. which engages with the i teeth of the ratchet-wheel. A detent-pawl 50.

suitablysupported from some stationary part, serves to hold the blank-pile in its raised position. The end of the lever 48 has an aper- 1 ture therein through which projects the rod 51, which depends from the cross-bar 24. A pair of adjustable collars 52 and 53, secured 1 on said rod, furnish the abutments which coni trol the amount of lost motion between the movements of the arms 22 and the lever 4:8, which adjustment would be necessary in case blanks of different thicknesses are operated on at different times. A helically-coiled contractile spring 51" is preferably interposed between the bracket 40 and the lever 4b, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, and serves to hold the latter yicldingly in its normal position, so that if is prevented from unnecessary movement. by i gravity when the collar-53 moves down from f beneath it, and it is only moved down to permit the pawl 49 to engage another tooth of Q vthe ratchet-wheel 37 when it is engaged by the collar \Vhen thus lowered. the lever is raised and the ratchet-wheel 3? advanced I a tooth by the engagement of the collar 5?) therewith, preferably through the medium of l the interposed helically-coiled expansion cushioning-spring 50, surrounding the rod 51, as the earns 20 raise the levers 22.

As will be apparent from an inspection of i Fig. 2, if the pile of blanks should become too 1 high when the suckers 31 reach the tops of g the blanks the downward movement of the 1 rods 27 will be arrested before it has reached its limit, and as a consequence the lever -18 will not be swung through as great a distance as the normal, and consequently the rate of lifting of the blanks will be reduced until they reach their proper level, when the normal rate of lifting will be resumed. By this mechanism it will be seen that we completely and certainly control the height of the blanks, so that they necessarily keep at the proper level in order that the suckers may raise them one by one into position to be delivered by the carrying mechanism to the machine.

\Vhilewe might use any form of carrying mechanism for translating the raised blanks from above. the pile over the ends of the bars 11 and onto the angular guide-strips 54, we preferably employ an endless carrier having projections into the plane of whose movement the blanks are lifted one by one, and thereby carried to the. bars 1 1. This endless carrier preferably takes the form of a pair of sprocket-chains 5:3,h'aving the fingers or projcctions56 thereon, which are preferably L-shaped, as shown, so 1 thatthehoriZont-al portion of the L will pass beneath and serve to support that edge of the plate when it is released from the suckers. 'lhese chains are mounted on sprocket-wheels 57 and '58, secured on the shafts 59 and 60, journaled in the two sets of bearings 61 and 62, suitably supported from the top of the frame. ()ne of the shafts, preferably 59, has secured at its outer end the sprocket-wheel 63, which is connected by the sprocket chain 6+1 with the sprocket-wheel 65, secured on the end of the i shaft 17.

The operation of the apparatus will be readily umlerstood. 'lhe blanks being kept at the proper level by the i'nechanism described, the rotation of the shaft 17 serves to alternately depress the suckers 31 upon the uppermost blank and then raise it up to the level of the 1 under surface of the chains 55, where it is held until the pro ections 56 engaging it carry it off from the suckers, thereby breaking the vacuum. The position of the pro ections 56 and the speed of the chains are so regulated that as a blank is raised into the plane of the projections a pair of them are ready to engage it and carry it away. As the blank is finally freed from the action of the suckers the ends of the bars 11 pass beneath it and support it in their backward movement and it is carried over the projections 11 before the forward movement of the bars 11 begins.

\Yith the apparatus described the pile of blanks may be removed one by one with the utmost certainty and at the highest rate of speed that the machine can be operated, the pressure of the suckers on the pile of blanks serving to jar them sufficiently so that there is no possibility of their sticking together, so that more than a single blank would be raised at once.

While we have shown our invention as embodied in the form which we at present consider best adapted to carryout its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications and that we do do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated bythe state of the prior art.

What We claim as new, and desire. to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an independent, attachable blank-feeding apparatus, the combination with mechanism for keeping the pile of blanks at a certain level, of an endless carrierlocated above the pile and always moving in one direction, projections on said carrier at intervals, and means for lifting the blanks one at a time from the pile and bringing them in the plane of the projections, said means being adapted to hold the lifted blank up until it has been positively engaged by the projections; substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an independent, attachable blank feeding apparatus, the combination with mechbination with the anism for raising the pile of blanks and keeping them at a certain level, of an endless carrier located above said pile, L-shaped projections thereon at intervals, and means for separating the blanks one at a time from the pile and raising them into the plane of the projections, so that they will be engaged by and rest on the horizontal portions of the Us 3. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the com bination with mechanism for raising the pile of blanks a fraction at each operation to keep them at a certain level, of an endless carrier having projections thereon at intervals over said pile of blanks, means for separating the blanks one by one from the pile and raising them into the plane of the projections of the carrier, and connections between said separating means and blank-level mechanism to diminish the rate of feed when the blanks are above a certain level.

4. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the comblank-supporting member, operatively connected with a pawl cooperating with the of a ratchet-wheel said member, wheel, a lever able abutments on said element for engaging the lever to vary the amount of its movement.

5. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the combination with the blank-supporting member, of a ratchet-Wheel operatively connected with said member, a pawl engaging the teeth of the Wheel, a lever carrying said pawl, a moving element for actuating the lever, abutments on said element engaging the lever, and an expansion-spring interposed between the lever and the abutment whose contact therewith advances the pawl.

6. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the combination with mechanism for keeping the pile of blanks at a certain level, of.an endless carrier having projections thereon at intervals, means for separating the blanks one by one from the pile and bringing them into the plane of the projections of the carrier, and a hooked reciprocating member upon which the endless carrier delivers the blanks.

7. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the combination with the mechanism for raising the pile of blanksintermittently and keeping them at acertain level, of an endless carrier having projections thereon at intervals located above the pile of blanks, means for separating the blanks one by one and raising them from the pile into theplane of the projections, and a hooked reciprocating member upon which the endless carrier delivers the blanks.

8. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the combination with mechanism for keeping the pile of blanks at a certain level, of sprocket-wheels located on either side of and above said pile of blanks, sprocket-chains on said wheels having projections thereon atintervals, and means for separating the blanks one by one from the carrying said pawl, a moving; element for actuating the lever, and ad ustplane of the bination with the shaft having the cams there-- on, of the levers cooperating with said earns, the rods sliding in vertical ways and connected with said lovers, the helically-coiled expanding springs surrounding thea'ods and holding the levers in engagement with the cams, the cross-bar connecting the rods, the lifters carried by the cross-bar, mechanism for keeping the blanks at the proper level actuated by the movement of the lovers, and delivery mechanism for engaging and carrying. away the blanks as they are separated from the pile by the lifters.

10. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the com bination with the shaft having the cams thereon, of the levers cooperating with said cams, the rods sliding in vertical ways and connected with said levers, the helically-coiled expanding springs surrounding the rods and holding the levers in engagement with the cams, the cross-bar connecting the rods, the lifters carried by the cross-bar, mechanism for keeping the blanks at the proper level actuated by the movement of the levers and consisting of the rack-bar supporting a cross-head, a pinion engaging the rack-bar, a ratchet-wheel rigidly connected .with the pinion, a lever mounted adjacent to the ratchet-wheel and carryinga pawl cooperating therewith, connections between the two levers, and means for carrying the separated blanks one by one from the lifters.

11. In a blank-feeding apparatus, the com bination with the shaft having the cams there on, of the levers cooperating with said cams,

the rods sliding in vertical ways and connected with said levers, the helically-coiled expanding springs surrounding the rods and holding the levers in engagement with the cams, the cross-bar connecting the rods, the lifters carried by the cross-bar, mechanism for keeping the blanks at the proper level actuated by the movement of the levers and consisting of the rack-bar supporting a cross-head, a pinion engaging the rack-bar, a ratchet-wheel rigidly connected with the pinion,.a lever mounted adjacent to the ratchet-wheel and carrying a pawl cooperating therewith, connections between the two levers, and means for carrying the separated blanks one by one from the lifters, said delivery mechanism consisting of sprocket-chains suitably mounted above the pile of blanks and provided with the projections adapted to engage the blanks, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we aflix oursignatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES B. MCDONALD. CHARLES D. MCDONALD. Witnesses:

S. E. HInBnN, J. H. MCELROY. 

